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    Jul 4, 2008

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    The headlines



    Test Match Special at 50

    By Will last year, mid-May Leave a comment on this post

    Is it not time for more female voices on TMS? “I hoped Claire Connor might be the one, but I don’t worry too much about not having a female,” said Baxter.

    “The audience have to be comfortable with the commentators and most female voices need to be pitched a bit lower. You need an alto, not a soprano. Clare Balding has a perfect voice for radio.” And what advice would he have for his successor?

    “I hope he (Baxter presumes it will be a man) doesn’t lose sight of the fact the commentary is the main thing,” he said.

    So says Peter Baxter, Test Match Special’s producer since time began. Interesting comments, and not something I’d ever considered. Personally, I find Balding’s voice almost indistinguishable from a man’s. Indeed, listening to her and Willie Carson speaking, it’s difficult to determine who exactly wears the trousers. So to speak.

    Anyway, well done TMS. I don’t listen to it these days as we’re glued to the screen, for obvious reasons, but it remains the best of British. But for how long? With Baxter hanging up his microphone, he sounds an ominous warning note to his successor

    “Five Live have people who are in charge of things called “station sound” and that rings a few alarm bells. The whole point of TMS is that it doesn’t sound like other commentaries.”

    Station sound? I shudder at the thought. There’s every chance that some shallow-sighted media freaks could ruin a British institution, turning it into a brash (and by proxy, dull) service. Come on BBC: leave it alone. Change is not always for the best. There will be quite a few TMS pieces on Cricinfo tomorrow and over the week, starting with Andrew Miller’s interview with Baxter, so keep your mince pies peeled.

    Who were your favourite commentators? What do you make of the current crop? Favourite TMS moment? etc. Not that I listen nearly as much as I’d like, but I think Mike Selvey is particularly brilliant and works well with Vic Marks.

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    6 Responses to “Test Match Special at 50”

  • Wraye wrote:
    May 17th, 2007 at 6.05 am

    John Arlott, without a shadow of a doubt, was the very best that ever went on air with TMS, and Brian Johnson ran him a close second. My commiserations to all of those too young to have ever heard them. Arlott had a rich southern burr and was a poet with words. Johnners had the rich, plummy tones of the Queens English. Both of them were easy on the ear, brilliantly descriptive, funny and entertaining.

    Blofeld is also an entertainer, never mind that he gets half of it wrong these days. Agnew and Selvey are brilliant and Frindall is vastly under-rated. In fact, I would go as far as saying that, with the loss of Benaud, Bearders is the only man on air with a full knowledge of the history and Laws of cricket.

    I’ve been a fan of TMS for 30 years and I know what I want. Voices with personalities, knowledge and entertainment value. Baxter made sure we had that, now who knows? I used to be able to score from the radio but no longer. In the CWC, we went up to 5 overs without hearing the score! Aunty Beeb is going for generic commentators now, those who can do a bit of footie, bit of cricket, bit of ruggers and a bit of anything else. Sad, sad loss.

  • Wraye wrote:
    May 17th, 2007 at 6.09 am

    P.S. Gems of broadcasting:

    “The batsman’s Holding, the bowler’s Willey!”

    and the famous Botham “leg-over” :)

  • Emma wrote:
    May 17th, 2007 at 8.55 am

    TMS at the World Cup was more of a Five Live team because of the ODI aspect, even if they did ship in a few of the gold crowd. But I can listen to any commentary no matter how inaccurate - for example, the Warks v Derbyshire coverage that insisted on pronouncing Katich ‘Kateesh’.

    I’m not a fan of Blofeld I’m afraid. But Aggers and Vic Marks are probably my version of a ‘dream team’ and only Atherton or Bumble could even get close to turning over to Sky’s commentary when at home.

    Being too young/too late a convert for the infamous phrases, I think my best moment was actually of a match I was in attendance - the last Windies test at Edgbaston. Vaughan brought Giles on at the City end after bowling several from the Pavilion. Vic Marks pipes up with ‘I wonder if he’s doing that because Darrel Hair has a reputation for having little time for batsmen who pad out the spinners.’

    Next ball, lbw.

  • Infoholic UK wrote:
    May 18th, 2007 at 3.55 pm

    Surely he meant to say “Clare Balding has a perfect FACE for radio” ?

  • Tim wrote:
    May 28th, 2007 at 1.30 pm

    If any one has recordings of old test match special broadcasts, I am interested in getting hold of them.

    I first heard TMS in 1999 and I have missed loads and loads of matches.

    For obvious reasons I cannot put my e-mail address here but if someone can reply, I may be able to find away of them giving me their contact details without making them available for spammers to capture.

    Favourite commentator? Blowers without a doubt. He just brings the games alive, even when they are dead.

    Some of the modern commentators are to bland and without character. However out of the very recent people, I do like Arlo White.

    I also prefer it when TMS doesn’t go back to regular programming during rain breaks. They could chat all day with rain and I would be happy.

    It is TMS that has given me my love of cricket. Although I go to watch cricket at grounds, I cannot see how someone can sit in front of a TV for 8 hours. I would much rather be doing things with TMS on in the background.

  • Brett wrote:
    July 13th, 2007 at 9.38 am

    I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago at how very much I enjoyed the unlikely commentary team of Donna Symmonns and Jeff Thomson.
    They bounced of each other very well.
    Here in Australia Tim Lane is one that I miss but Jim Maxwells not bad. I’d love to hear ABC doing online Pura Cup matches like the BBC does county games. I really enjoyed them on a cold Winters night.

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